April News
Opera Prelude YA News — April 2026
We had a fabulous April, spent with our wonderful Young Artists and some very special guests.
We kicked off with Jack Sandison in Hampstead on the 20th for another instalment of OperaBites. Jack explored the repertoire of the bass-baritone, treating us to delights from Don Giovanni, Aleko and more. Jack is a truly impressive artist and it was wonderful to hear him sing in such an intimate setting — we are sure our audience was thrilled, and we can't wait for them to hear more from him later in the year.
Jack was followed by mezzo-soprano Clover Kayne on the morning of the 22nd, who performed a lecture recital entitled The Mezzo-Soprano en Travesti at Holy Trinity, Sloane Square. Clover gave our audience a fascinating insight into how opera has historically reflected long-standing social roles and character traditions — particularly through the mezzo-soprano voice. We heard arias from classic mezzo trouser roles while exploring the sense of "in-betweenness" that mezzos so often inhabit. A truly captivating performance!
Later that same day, we met Catherine Hooper at the William Morris Society for the latest entry in our William Morris recital series. Entitled The Green Earth's Song: Nature, Craft and the Folk Spirit, the recital explored Morris's deep love of nature and green spaces and how this was reflected in his art and writing. We are really loving this series — Kelmscott House is a stunning venue and it is a joy to commemorate this giant of British arts and crafts through such gorgeous music. Thank you so much to Catherine and pianist Archie Bonham for joining us!
Finally, we were joined by the inimitable Nicky Spence OBE for a Masterclass at the Garrison Chapel on the 29th. It was such a privilege to share the morning with Nicky, who, besides having an illustrious career and a beautiful voice, is a truly warm person who communicated extraordinarily well with our Young Artists. Stephen Whitford, Will Diggle and Abbie Ward all sang wonderfully, and we are sure they valued the experience greatly.
Away from our own events, our Young Artists have been up to great things. Hector Bloggs (baritone) received the First Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Competition, while Eyra Norman won the Ferrier-Loveday Song Prize — a wonderful double OP triumph, though not at all surprising given both singers' fantastic talents. Olivia Rose Tringham and Stephen Whitford both appeared with HGO in their production of The Rape of Lucretia, which received four-star reviews from Ham & High, the Reviews Hub and more. And throughout March and April, tenor Will Diggle has been performing as Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Landestheater Niederbayern — a fantastic debut that we are absolutely thrilled about.
We are so proud of all of our singers. Here's to more successes over the coming months!